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What are You Really Saying?

"I can't believe I just said that!" "I can't believe I just did that!" "I can't believe I forgot that!" "I can't believe I lost that!"

Statements like these are common for people to make. You've probably said one of them yourself at least once in your life. Despite how common they are to say and to hear, they have become a pet peeve of mine recently. The reason why is fairly personal, but I think it's something that we all should consider.

The reason why it's currently driving me nuts to hear or say one of these things is because I have come to realize the meaning behind the words, at least when I'm saying them. I have used these statements as a method to subtly put myself down. When I say "I can't believe I just said that!" or "I can't believe I just did that!", what I'm really saying is "How could I have been so stupid! Why didn't I think before I said/did that? Everyone must think I'm a total idiot now." "I can't believe I forgot that!" is really my way of saying "Why can't I remember anything?" The one I seem to say the most often, and holds the most condemnation behind the words, is "I can't believe I lost that!" When I say that, what I'm really doing is calling myself an unrepentant slob who can't put anything away and doesn't deserve nice things because she keeps losing them.

Brothers and sisters, God made us for more than this cycle of putting ourselves down whenever we make a mistake. He knows we'll mess up because we are human, and making mistakes doesn't make us any less in His eyes. Not to mention that most of the times these statements are used for mistakes that are not actually sins, so they don't have an eternal significance, but how we react could. We need to focus more on how to fix the flub, if necessary, than on the fact that we made it. Only in doing so can we achieve growth in our lives.

So am I saying that we should completely stop using these statements? Not necessarily. I do urge you to think about what you are really saying, and whether or not it's something helpful in that situation. If not, find something else to say that is.

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